Reflecting On ISCT17: Your Biggest Takeaways

For our attendees, ISCT17 was just recently wrapped up, but for us it’s already time to start thinking about our next symposium! We’ll be sending post-conference surveys out to all of our attendees (some of you may have already received them), and we strongly urge everyone to take the time to fill them out.

These surveys play an integral role in determining several different elements of next year’s conference, including what speakers we ask back, the types of topics we select for discussion, and even how the networking sessions and overall meeting are structured. Our 2017 symposium debuted some pretty big changes in structure and content from our previous symposia, and that was in large part due to the feedback we received from our 2016 symposium. The more feedback you give us, the better we can tailor these events to the specific needs of our attendees!

Before you submit your feedback, take some time to think over your ISCT17 experience and reflect on the symposium as a whole. What elements did you enjoy most? Where was there room for improvement? Was there a topic you felt should have been discussed or a presentation format you didn't find valuable? It takes a village to build a truly valuable and powerful educational symposium in the 21st century, and true growth requires constructive criticism derived by deep reflection. As we move forward with starting to plan our next symposium, here are some areas we're looking for feedback on from previous attendees:

1. What do you want to see more of next year?

Was there something you particularly loved about this year’s conference, or maybe even something that wasn’t included but that you think would be really great to add next year? We want to hear about it! We don’t want these meetings to feel like the same old same old, and we’re always looking for new ways to provide value for attendees and make each conference unique.

2. Were there any speakers that you absolutely must see again?

One of the things we pride ourselves in most is somehow, year after year, putting together an incredible speaker lineup for the conferences. That being said, we understand that people like some variation, and many of our speakers aren’t able to make it every single year. If there were any speakers that you were absolutely blown away by this year that you feel like you absolutely must see at next year’s event, please share that information with us so we can start trying to arrange that as early as possible. Plus, it’s nice for our speakers to get a little affirmation every once in a while!

3. What could you do without next year?

Just like it’s important to get an idea of what you want to see included in next year’s conference, we also want to hear what parts of the conference you think could use improvement. Although we've worked incredibly hard over the past 19 years to create a symposium that we believe ticks most (if not all) of the boxes for attendees, we know that there is always room for improvement. Let us know if there’s something you thought was unnecessary, or that didn't resonate with you in a positive way.

4. Are there any industry-related topics you’d really like to see discussed?

Our industry is constantly changing, and because of this we’re seeing new innovations each and every day. It’s almost impossible to keep up with! We’re already starting to see things happening now that we know will make for great debates at next year’s conference. As you’re observing these changes in your field, be sure to pinpoint topics you think merit discussion on a larger scale and submit them to us! You just might see them on the lineup for next year.

5. Would you like to be more involved in next year’s conference?

We’re always looking for people who want to take on a bigger role at the conferences, whether it’s by submitting a poster for presentation, being a speaker, or simply providing additional skills to aid with the event execution or promotion. If you’d like to be more involved, don’t hesitate to reach out to us! You can email us at info@isct.org.

Your opinions are important to us, and so is your feedback. If you’ve got the time to fill out our post-conference survey and give us your thoughts, then we thank you in advance! If not, please remember that our door is always open. We’d love to hear your ideas for next year, regardless of when you come up with them. Don’t ever hesitate to reach out to us and share what you think will make our next CT symposium even more valuable from an attendee perspective!